Live Like We're Dying
by ferentis
Summary: Evelyn found she had to trust the very thing she had never trusted before : humans. But, they were going to be stuck together for a while, so a friendship wasn't a bad thing to have - was it?
1. Prolouge : The Elf's Song

_Few, so here it finally is. My first Dragon Age fanfic. Sorry if it seems a bit, odd for the first chapter - writing this I decided that it should properly be a prolouge. And yes, the other characters will be introduced after this chapter_, _I just had this idea in my mind for a few days after playing the game, and wanted it written. I imagine there was some kind of awkward conversation concerning Duncan between the two Grey Wardens after Ostagar the first night back at camp - this is just my image. Well, I guess I should stop being a babbling idiot like Alistair and just leave you to read this. You know the drill, review if you like, leave cookies if you love, if you hate then you hate - idk if I like this all that much myself tbh. _

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Prologue: 'The Elf's Song'

_Baby tell me you remember, the time in which our eyes first met  
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Alistair was having trouble sleeping again. It was those dreams, those nightmares that had continued to haunt him ever since the night of his joining to the Grey Wardens. Tonight however, they were different. Instead of being haunted by the visions of the arch demon, his mind was clouded by the vision of Ostagar, and of Duncan.

He sat up, the sickening feeling that was in the pit of stomach beginning to subside slightly as the dream become more and more of a blur. Apart from him. Apart from that older Grey Warden who had instructed and guided him for so long. Replacing the sickness came the sharp emotion of guilt resting inside him. The guilt that had been weighed on him since the news dawned. The never-ending feeling within him that nagged at him to have done something more, to try and save a life. But alas, deep inside him he also knew, Duncan would have not wanted to be saved. Not if this was the outcome he had to wake up to.

Sighing, and holding back to tears that were beginning to be set free for the umpteenth time that day, Alistair got up to put his armour on. There was no way he was going to be able to sleep again that night, so instead he decided he'd keep watch. It wasn't until he finished pulling his armour on he noticed it. The sound that was caught on the wind, a soft melody. Curious; Alistair opened his tent and began searching for the direction the sound was coming from. Noting that it wasn't that far away, he decided to follow it. As the sound grew louder, he noted that the harmonious tune held a sad emotion to it. Whoever was playing such music, their heart bled terribly. It was as if someone's soul was being poured into the tune, just waiting and praying for someone to hear their story.

When he came to the source of the sound, Alistair couldn't help but be shocked. There, sitting on a fallen log was his fellow Grey Warden; Evelyn. To his surprise, she was holding a small flute – most likely some kind of elvish heirloom. Alistair didn't know what was more shocking, that it was Evelyn playing the heartbreaking melody that he was hearing, or the fact that he'd never had imagined that she even had this side to her. Thinking that though in his mind, he remembered that they really hadn't met all that long ago, and so it properly wasn't that much of a shock that he didn't know her that well. Still, the fact that they were the only two Grey Wardens left in Ferelden right now; and that they were on this quest together, alone – unless you counted that witch Morrigan who for one reason or another had ended up becoming a tag along with them – he thought that he had better make the effort to get to know the girl better.

Suddenly, he noticed that the song had stopped, and that Evelyn was now staring at him. How long had he been standing there caught in his own thoughts like an idiot? He could feel his cheeks flushing red from blushing, and thanked the Maker that it was dark so that he didn't look even more ridiculous than he already did.

"Are you ... just going to continue standing there or ... are you going to move?" Came her quiet voice. Shaking his head to get out of his daze, Alistair decided to walk forward quickly and sit on the log beside her – just wanting this embarrassing moment to end quickly.

They sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, Alistair staring at his own hands and Evelyn at the flute.

"I – just wondered where the sound was coming from. I didn't mean to interrupt you or anything" Alistair stumbled, trying to break the awkward silence.

"I moved here, further out from the camp so as not to disturb either you or Morrigan. I guess that I was still playing loud enough to wake you up..." Evelyn replied quietly once again, properly feeling the same embarrassment that Alistair himself was experiencing right then.

"Wake me up? Oh no! You needn't worry about that. I sleep like a rock, yes. I was already awake anyway..." Alistair wanted to mentally bite his tongue and shut up. He always had this trouble, just, babbling on about nothing in particular.

He sighed, the silence between them falling once again. He honestly didn't know what to say to her, he was never really good at conversing with women anyway, but one that was obviously upset about something deep inside? Well, those were of the biggest mystery to him.

"So I take it, if you've been up all this time – that you yourself couldn't sleep yourself for some reason?" It was Evelyn who broke the silence this time. Alistair turned to look at her, still clasping the flute in her hands, sadness evident on her eyes. Yep, he thought to himself, this definitely wasn't the time to joke.

"Nightmares. That's – all it was really. Just haunting nightmares." He frowned at the memory of his dream, of the image of Duncan in his mind.

"I see."

Evelyn obviously noted that the dreams Alistair mentioned were properly not grounds for conversation, and for that he didn't want to pursue in explaining them. So instead, she decided not to question what they were about, even if she did already have a clear image in her mind as to what they involved. But that still didn't answer why she was up herself. Too afraid to ask, Alistair decided to switch the conversation.

"So erm ... that tune; you we're playing just now. What – well, what was it?"

A silent period emerged for a few moments, and Alistair thought that perhaps she wasn't going to answer. But then all of a sudden, she spoke.

"It's an old lullaby. It's one that used to be sung to me when I was younger. My people would often play music by the firelight, as if telling a story of times long gone. Each melody tells its own story, and shares its own emotion. For some reason, the one I was playing earlier – it always soothed and made me feel comfortable when I needed to be at peace the most."

"And – what tale does that tune sing?" Alistair was curious now. He'd got her to open up, to talk about herself. This was different; He'd never expected that she'd openly discuss things. Since the few days he'd known her, Evelyn always appeared to be a secretive type of person to him. Perhaps all she needed was someone there to listen to her story – much like what he longed for.

Evelyn looked up to the stars above her, a single tear escaping her eyes.

"This tale is of sorrow, and of sadness. Of loss, and of returning to nature." She paused and looked at the flute again, a small smile on her lips as the tear fell. "It felt right to play it – after all that happened in such a short amount of time, what with Tamlen, and Ostagar, and Duncan...'

Both of them felt a twinge hit them inside, and Evelyn knew that then she shouldn't have mentioned Duncan. She wanted to hit herself for being so insensitive. Instead, silence fell on the two of them once again as the thought of Duncan cast over their minds.

"I'm sorry," She whispered finally, closing her eyes. "I shouldn't have said anything."

Before Alistair could protest she stood up from the log, and put the flute away.

"We should get back to camp," she said, falling back into leader mode. "If Morrigan wakes up and finds the two of us missing, she'll properly think we've left her behind."

Alistair followed suit, quickly trying to forget what had just happened.

"You mean leaving her behind whilst also leaving all our belongings and weapons behind too? I'm sure she wouldn't mind at all."

Evelyn allowed herself to smile weakly, feeling slightly happier that the conversation hadn't seemed to change Alistair's jokey behaviour.

"Even so, we should prepare for tomorrow. We have a long journey ahead of us, and something tells me it won't be a relatively easy one."

"What? Fighting darkspawn? Nah, it should be a breeze with our team!"

The both of them walked back to camp, Alistair feeling secretly happy that he knew a bit more about Evelyn. They were going to be stuck with each other for a while, so it wouldn't be a bad idea for the two of them to form a friendship together. Would it?

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_And so it begins ..._

_Btw, thanks to **I Caught Myself** for sitting there for about twenty minutes while we both argued at word for a misspelling something I spelt right. Chapter one will be up ... soon. I hope. Just watch, you'll soon see. _


	2. Chapter 1 : Dog

_This : took forever to update. Sorry about that, I just got too invovled with my other fic. But here's chapter 2, just as promised. Oh, and yes, I changed the summary of this story slightly, because - I felt it explained it better this time around.  
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_What do you get when you have a moody Morrigan, a normal, happy Alistair & an elf who's mood changes like the weather? Find out in this chapter :)_

_Oh, and incase you didn't get it, I don't own Dragon Age, unfortunetly.  
_

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Chapter 2 : Dog

_"Take care of those you call your own  
And keep good company."_

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"Tis not far to Lothering," Came Morrigan's voice.

To Alistair however, it felt like they'd been walking forever. Okay, admittedly it was only noon – lunchtime to be precise. They had been walking for a while, considering they left camp just before daylight. Not that what time it was really mattered. All Alistair cared about, was when they'd finally reach Lothering – and if there'd be cheese there.

Both Alistair and Evelyn hadn't spoken since their conversation last night, and the happiness he felt at solving part of the elves mystery was long gone, as she now seemed ever more mysterious then before. She often spoke to Morrigan on the travel, and – for some unfathomable reason – he thought that the two we're getting along with each other quite well, which was quite scary for him to comprehend, especially as Morrigan seemed nothing to him but a bitch. A horror. Luggage they were ordered to carry around on Flemeths request.

He sighed; all this thinking was giving him a headache. He would never understand how some people – especially woman – worked.

It wasn't until he nearly walked into her back that he noticed that Evelyn had stopped dead in her tracks. She held her arm out when she sensed him arrive, and put her fingers to her lips as a sign of telling him to keep quiet.

The footsteps begun to get louder, and everyone quickly got into battle positions. Morrigan stood by a tree, ready to use her spells when the time called for it, Alistair readied his sword and shield & Evelyn prepared her bow and arrow. Concentration was placed on her face, and it was obvious to tell that in that moment she was ready for whatever came around the corner, be it friend or foe.

"Catch that mutt!!"

Alistair looked to the direction of the sound of the voice, and noticed a group of guards chasing a dog. A mabari war hound to be exact. He couldn't help but roll his eyes. A group of men chasing after a war hound, this could only end badly on their part.

Evelyn was the first to shoot, trying to help the hound fight off some of the men. This however, led to her gaining attention to herself, and the guards suddenly realised they were not alone.

"Hey, aren't they those Grey Wardens we were ordered to finish off?"

A group began to move towards the three of them at the guards' outburst, and this action sparked Morrigan and Alistair into combat aswell.

The battle however, did not last long. The guards were no match for the three of them and Alistair began to believe that they made a good team between the group. Not that he'd ever tell Morrigan that, god no. But – he wouldn't mind telling Evelyn that – if they ever got to have a conversation that lasted long enough too.

The trio put their weapons away, and Evelyn ran over to the hound. Which was – now covered in the guard's blood. She checked the animal over for any injuries or wounds, but could find none.

"If the mutts injured, I can use some of my magic to heal him," came Morrigans voice from behind her.

Evelyn checked over the hounds face once again, but found nothing wrong with him yet again. The hound took this is a good sign, and barked in approval. Yup, there was definitely nothing wrong with him – he was energetic at least.

"Oh it's a noisy mutt. I take it that means nothing's wrong with him. I take back my offer then, now we can just ... leave it." Morrigan looked disgusted at the animal, remembering how much she didn't like hounds like this one.

"What? No, we can hardly just leave the animal here." Alistair replied.

"And why not? He's mingy. We don't need him around with us, not when we already have one annoying character in our party."

The war hound growled, obviously upset and offended at Morrigans comment. Alistair on the other hand, just laughed at the dogs reply to her comment.

"See, he doesn't like you either Morrigan. That makes two of us. And – he is not mingy! Sure he's covered in blood but – dogs are supposed to get dirty!"

Morrigan rolled her eyes as Alistair decided to coo at the dog. Evelyn looked at the dog with interest, and then something hit her.

"You know, I think this is the dog I treated at Ostagar." She said, looking back at the animal to find it staring her back in the face. The dog barked once again, as if to tell her that it _was_ the one she had met and cured at Ostagar.

Alistair laughed again, petting the dog on the head.

"Well, either way, he seems to like you. Maybe he wants you to be his master?"

The hound got up, and walked to Evelyn's side, and sat. Alistair raised his eyebrow. It was if the dog could understand what the heck everyone was on about. He let out a laugh.

"Well – I guess now that's decided – the four of us should proceed to Lothering," Evelyn said, stifling a giggle. The mabari wagged his tail, a look of approval on his face.

Morrigan looked disgusted, and sighed whilst crossing her arms. "Bunch of idiots." She muttered under her breath. "If we really must take the mutt along with us then fine. Could we just, hasten this reunion up so we could proceed to Lothering? Time is of the essence here".

And so, the group began to prepare to set off once again on their journey to Lothering. They searched the bodies of the guards for anything that could help them along the way, the mabari following Evelyn around as she proceeded to pick up some scattered arrows. It was then that Evelyn saw it. It was a cape, sort of similar to the one she was wearing. Why the guards were carrying a cape around with them she didn't know, but at that moment she was more concerned with the conversation the guards had had prior to their attack.

"_Hey, aren't they those Grey Wardens we were ordered to finish off?"_

Evelyn sighed. To be the only survivors of the battle of Ostagar, she had to admit that it was obvious that there would soon be a search for their lives. Having a cape might just prove helpful later on, especially if Lothering was to have guards and soldiers within it. She looked around for her comrade, and noticed Alistair trying to smuggle some health poultices into his bag. Picking up the last remaining arrows around her, she walked up to him.

"Alistair," she began, and noticed him jump slightly after she spoke. She rolled her eyes impatiently.

"Oh, Evelyn. Wh-what is it you wanted?"

She couldn't understand what was making him nervous – but thought it properly had something to do with being in the presence of an elf. Feeling slightly offended as that thought came to her mind, she shoved the cape under his nose.

"Take this." She ordered.

Alistair looked at the cape, a look of bewilderment on his face.

"Err – as much as I appreciate the gesture, why do I need a cape? I know their fun and all – but, they kind of don't work with armour that well-"

"Don't be an idiot." She snapped back. Alistair blinked, and decided it would be in his best interests to shut up. "Look, I don't know if you overheard those guards, but there's a price on our heads, what with being the last remaining Grey Wardens left in Ferleden. I just thought it might be clever, to perhaps _have_ a cape on you, so that you can hide your identity when the time calls for it."

"Rigggght – by any chance are you used to this kind of sneaking around? Only – you wear your own cape a lot of them time." Evelyn's temper began to rise, and she guessed that Alistair must have noticed this, because he soon shut up. "I – didn't mean anything by it but – oh forget it. Thank you, anyway. For the thought. "

He took the cape off her, and Evelyn crossed her arms, pouting.

"Whatever, I only did it to avoid any unnecessary fights in Lothering. Anyway, we should get moving."

And with that, Evelyn walked off in the direction that Morrigan was in, leaving a very confused looking Alistair behind. Thinking about it, he thought he preferred the calmer, _kinder_ Evelyn that he was able to converse with properly the night before – and not the stubborn one that he had just been faced with. Sighing, he began to follow after them.

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_Well that was ... different to say the least._

_Wait for chapter 3 which will be uploaded very soon. Of course, I wonder what mishap they'll get up to in Lothering :)_

_Review if you liked this chapter.  
_


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